Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana told local media on Wednesday that he will not take part in the Vuelta d’España in 2017 in order to prioritize both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
The decision by the Boyaca-born cyclist and his Movistar team sets out a clear objective of attempting to become only the eight rider in history to win both races in the same year.
‘The final decision that we are making is to do the Giro and the Tour de France,” said the current Vuelta d’España champion ending speculation about his 2017 schedule.
Colombia’s Nairo Quintana wins Vuelta a Espana
Quintana returns to the Giro d’Italia after a three year absence following his win there in 2014 after skipping the Tour de France that season.
Having reached the podium in the Tour de France on there occasions already, the Colombian star will be hopeful of success in a race will take in 3,516km, covering all five of France’s mountain regions.
Nairo Quintana’s rise from poor peasant’s son to Colombia’s cycling hero
Quintana’s Movistar team confirmed that his pre-Giro programme will see him test his legs at the Mallorca Challenge on January 26 before heading to the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana between the 1st and 5th of February and later to the Abu Dhabi Tour.
The latter will be Quintana’s first UCI WorldTour appearance of the season, and his second arrives the following month at Tirreno-Adriatico in March.
That will be followed by altitude training at home in Quintana’s native Colombia and then the Vuelta a Asturias.
